This review and synthesis of research focuses on studies of cost-effectiveness of vocational education. This paper represents an overview of the state of the art and includes (1) a review of the current conceptual and empirical problems of conducting a cost-efficiency or cost-effectiveness study of vocational education; (2) a review of the major…

Australian education is competing with other areas of government spending for funding, and its advocates must increasingly legitimize their claims. Education decision-makers must work to get as much funding as possible to its programs and ensure that program output accommodates the wishes of those producing them and those funding them. (MSE)

One indicator of progress in the Challenge to Lead goals refers to teacher compensation: Salaries, benefits and incentives are competitive in the marketplace. They are aimed at recognized expertise, student performance, state needs and taking on additional or different roles to improve curriculum and instruction." Most Southern Regional Education…

Instead of collegiate priorities determining resource allocation, the resource allocation process can often shape the priorities. Current approaches are reviewed with focus on (1) how different approaches to setting priorities accommodate lack of consensus on campus; (2) incentives incorporated into resource allocation approaches; and (3)…

Presents commentary in response to the main articles of this target issue. Suggests that the recommendations of the authors are unrealistic for school psychology, given practical resource limitations. Or conversely, perhaps the recommendations speak to a needed role that is not currently being filled, which school psychologists are better prepared…

Discusses the ways the credit hour has come to be used by public funding systems in higher education. The literature review shows that the credit hour has become a barrier to innovation and a way to create systemic inequities between institutions or sectors in resource allocation. (SLD)

A review of findings on integration of disabled students into regular education in Australia finds a major deficiency in available information. Although studies reveal some success in integration, it depends on individual characteristics, early educational experiences, and provision of support services in the schools. Areas for future research are…

Examines how colleges are using financial aid to achieve enrollment and financial objectives. Discusses how use of financial aid to achieve enrollment goals presents these ethical concerns: access and equity for all students; schools who do not engage in these practices are at a competitive disadvantage; and colleges are generally only promising…

Reviews literature on resource allocation in schools, arguing that collecting data at the student level (rather than at the school level) can be more cost-effective and more useful in improving understanding of student learning. Discusses four school finance areas that would benefit from student-level data: equity, adequacy, accountability, and…

As Pacific educational leaders strive to make their educational systems meaningful for their own island people, lessons can be learned from the research on change. This is the second in a series of three papers on the broad phases of educational change: initiation, implementation, and institutionalization and renewal. The Concerns Based Adoption…

This chapter of "Principles of School Business Management" analyzes the types of budget preparation that are used in school districts across the United States. The chapter proposes as a basic premise that the budgetary process is inherently political, and states that some budgeting methods may provide more useful political information…

This report reviews the requirements for infrastructure for teaching and learning in United Kingdom universities and colleges of higher education. It assesses the extent of remedial investment required, using data from many sources, and sets out the conditions needed to manage this infrastructure on a sustainable basis. The report is primarily…

Research indicates that school microcomputer use is associated with the wealth of the school district. Wealthier districts are more likely to utilize the higher level uses of the computer, whereas less affluent schools tend to use computers in computer-assisted instruction of the drill and practice variety. (MLF)

The case of Brown v Topeka has had important consequences affecting the availability and allocation of funds for public schooling. Research to more accurately identify and explain these financial effects will be hampered by such problems as lack of standardized accounting systems, distortions of desegregation costs, and ambiguities of policy.…

Reviews the literature on equal educational opportunity (EEO), analyzes data from a school attitude questionnaire and a specially-designed achievement test, and draws implications for funding of EEO programs. (WD)